Car ban in streets around school to stop dangerous parking

East Lothian Council in Scotland is planning to impose a car ban in the streets around a school to put an end to dangerous parking and driving on the school run.

There have been several complaints about dangerous driving and as a solution the council are proposing to make the streets round the school pedestrian zones in the mornings and at the end of school times.

Under the proposals, cars would be banned from the streets between 08.30 and 09:30 on week days.

Between Mondays and Thursday, the ban would also be in force between 15:00 and 16:00, while on Fridays it would be from 11:45 until 12:45.

The plans would start with an 18 month trial.

They have been called "a rather draconian measure to crack a fairly small problem".

measures like this shouldnt need to be put in place. People should park considerately, every newsletter my son brings home and emails are often sent about inconsiderate parking and neighbours complaining.

Don't see how anyone can argue with this, and was surprised to see 'Neil Greig from the Institute of Advanced Motorists said the exclusion zone seemed like "a rather draconian measure to crack a fairly small problem'. He should know better.

Any plan or scheme with child safety in mind has to be good. Why wait until someone is killed before taking action. We see this all too often as it is. Furthermore, too many parents take kids to school in vehicles these days, particularly those stupid 4x4's which many can't reverse or park. Get out there and walk and get some exercise.

Surely they cannot prohibit people who live there access to their properties ? Put speed humps or other traffic measures in place. Or maybe the solution is to provide more school transport for the children so parents who need to take their cars don't actually have to anymore ?

Rurally that is not always an option. We have a fairly big school for a village but the villages either side don't have a school at all so have no option but to drive to ours or into town.

Hi - OT, but I'm confused. You live in a village with a school, but have to take you child to a school in town because the school is full of children from other villages (without schools)?? That seems very unfair!

Surely they cannot prohibit people who live there access to their properties ? Put speed humps or other traffic measures in place. Or maybe the solution is to provide more school transport for the children so parents who need to take their cars don't actually have to anymore ?

My county paid more per child on transport that it did it's education (in September it introduced stricter measures). A lot of parents still drove their kids for umpteen reasons, so their cars, the buses, the other road users and pedestrians all jostled for space. Very dangerous.

This was my idea, actually (my favourite moan on the footpath). The residents would have parking permits!

I'm confused. Doesn't a ban on cars near the school simply push the problem somewhere else?

For example, suppose people are not allowed to drive within 100 metres of the school. Won't that mean masses of cars whizzing up to the closest legal point of access by car 100 metres from school, parking illegally in a clump while the parents run the remaining 100 metres to school with their children, then parents rushing back to their cars and executing dodgy manouevres in the midst of arriving children in order to turn round and hurry off to work?

Why would it help that all of this craziness would be happening slightly farther away from the school building? It would still be the same people doing the same things as they do now, wouldn't it?

These schools are in cul de sacs, so instead of the road having cars coming in, out and manoeuvering to turn all at once the parents will park on the roads they lead off of - that's got to make it safer. Well, assuming they park sensibly on the through roads.

Hi - OT, but I'm confused. You live in a village with a school, but have to take you child to a school in town because the school is full of children from other villages (without schools)?? That seems very unfair!

No the parents from the villages with no schools either come to ours or go into town, so they have no option but to drive. We always get into the school as priority as we live in catchment. Although I do believe that siblings is above catchment in the admission criteria so I suppose as the village expands, in the future it may be the case that children from outside of the village with siblings get in and children in the village without siblings don't.

I live in a cul de sac, right near a school.
It's flipping annoying if I'm due out around school time, or trying to get home at school time. People often park in our street, we already have cycle ability often riding up and down our street. It's a nightmare already without the extra hassle.

People park stupidly too, so my son and I have to walk on the road to get by. On dustbin days.. It's even worse, trying to walk on a pavement when there are bins, and people abandoning cars in our street to get their children to school.

measures like this shouldnt need to be put in place. People should park considerately, every newsletter my son brings home and emails are often sent about inconsiderate parking and neighbours complaining.

I completely aggree. Unfortunately there are people who don't appear to give a damm about where they park or what they obstruct. I have seen cars parked on double yellow lines, the zigg zag lines directly infront of the school entrance, street corners, even on the pavement. It makes my blood boil. Not only is it causing a danger, but how can children be expected to learn the concept of the green cross code when there is nowhere safe to cross. We also have nummerous letters about inconsiderate parking and neighbours complaints.
Only the other day a letter was sent home to say that a child had been taken to hospital because of an incident involving a car. Sadly I was not surprised. Fortunately the child was ok.
As regards residents there could be open to resident access.

Mrs Pringle

Originally Posted by Netmums News Team

East Lothian Council in Scotland is planning to impose a car ban in the streets around a school to put an end to dangerous parking and driving on the school run.

There have been several complaints about dangerous driving and as a solution the council are proposing to make the streets round the school pedestrian zones in the mornings and at the end of school times.

Under the proposals, cars would be banned from the streets between 08.30 and 09:30 on week days.

Between Mondays and Thursday, the ban would also be in force between 15:00 and 16:00, while on Fridays it would be from 11:45 until 12:45.

The plans would start with an 18 month trial.

They have been called "a rather draconian measure to crack a fairly small problem".

We have had this parking around schools problem for many years (more than I care to remember) and at last a very simple solution seems to be taking place - just get the caretaker (or whatever posh name they call themselves these days)! to stand outside the shcool gates or further up the road if need be and you would be surprised at how effective tis is. My son-in-law is a caretaker at another local school and this is part of his job. We also have recently had community enforcement officers around a couple of times a week and that also is working well.

Fantastic idea. I hope that they role this out throughout Scotland. I hate the walk to school because of all the inconsiderate and dangerous driving that goes on around the school drop off and pick up times. We only live 5 minutes from school, but each day there is always a handful of dangerous driving situations and it makes me so mad!!!

Fantastic idea. I hope that they role this out throughout Scotland. I hate the walk to school because of all the inconsiderate and dangerous driving that goes on around the school drop off and pick up times. We only live 5 minutes from school, but each day there is always a handful of dangerous driving situations and it makes me so mad!!!

Same here. We live a few hundred yards from a small school in a cul de sac, luckily cars can pull into the car park, wait (as there are so few) then drive out the other entrance.

But my nieces have been to schools where it is just a joke. Parents pull up, double park, let the kids out themselves often onto the road then drive off...all for their own convenience.

My granny lives in a nearby village in East Lothian and I think they probably could do with the same measures. The schools were built years ago and the local area has been heavily built up as it is a popular Edinburgh commuter belt area. They are no longer the local village school...they are large schools now but the roads around haven't improved with it